Headlines & Stuff November 15, 2013

Written by: Christy Wise

Here are some cool things we read about this past week:

IBM to Test People’s Psychology Through Twitter Posts
IBM is reportedly testing technology to guess people’s psychological traits by analyzing their Twitter posts, in a bid to deliver more targeted ads and promotional messages. The company intends to go beyond behavioral analysts like Amazon and use social media to derive information about an individual’s psychological response to ads.

Popular Pins’ Now Available on Brand Websites
Pinterest is opening its API to retailers who wish to embed pins directly on their websites. A handful of Pinterest partners now have the option to surface their most popular pins on the homepage of their site. Initial partners include: Walmart, Disney, Random House, Zappos and Mashable.

Twitter Expands Mobile Targeting for Marketers
Two-thirds of Twitter’s advertising revenue comes from mobile – so it’s no surprise that the company is expanding its targeting options for mobile that go beyond a user’s operating system. Twitter will now give marketers the ability to target ads to Twitter users based on the specific version of iOS or Android their phone users, their specific device and whether their device is using a WiFi connection.

Twitter Launches Custom Timelines
Twitter is introducing a new tool called Custom Timelines to let users curate and share collections of tweets with others. The Guardian is one of the first outlets to make using of the tool, collecting and publishing a Q&A session about the NSA files. Other early adopters include Politico, Carson Daly and the Bleacher Report.

Shots of Me – The New Selfie App Funded by Justin Beiber Has Arrived
Partially funded by Justin Beiber and created by RockLive, Shots of Me is a new app for iPhone users that allows you to take and share photos of yourself. The app is meant to be exclusively for selfies. The app only allows you to use your front-facing camera, discouraging shots of people’s food and pets. Plus, there aren’t any filters to magic away bad lighting or to make your face appear more “arty.” There are also no comments allowed, to prevent cyber-bullying.

Global Social Media

LinkedIn Has 3 Million Members in China
LinkedIn may not have a presence in China, but the service already has three million members in the country. Its desktop version is entirely in English, though there is mobile app that supports the Chinese language. LinkedIn is currently trying to gain a deeper understanding into the Chinese market before launching a Chinese version of the platform.

Noteworthy Campaigns

Louis Vuitton App Replaces QR Codes With Scannable Images
The Louis Vuitton Pass is a new mobile application for iOS and Android that scans complete images rather than the increasingly less popular QR codes. The luxury fashion house released the app in conjunction with a print campaign this month. Scannable images are indicated by a subtle icon, along with a prompt to download the app. Once scanned, users are given additional behind-the-scenes info about the image, product details and a store locator.